Waste-derived animal bedding

Friday, 17 January 2025

The wet autumn in 2023 meant that planting winter cereal crops was limited and the persistent wet weather has knocked yields down on the five-year average. As a result, crop harvested was much-reduced for harvest 2024, meaning less straw is going to be available.

Some alternative sources include waste-derived materials which can be suitable to be used as animal bedding, but it must be visibly clean and non-hazardous to be compliant – for example, free of plastics and other contaminants. We have published a more detailed guide on the properties of alternative materials.

If you are looking at an alternative material, it is important to find out whether it is classified as a waste or not. Some questions to ask are:

  • What are the origins of the material?
  • What quantity of material will be delivered?
  • Can you provide evidence that the material is not classified as a waste? (From a supported opinion from the relevant regulator, e.g. the Environment Agency in England)
  • The process of which the material has been produced from? (e.g. wood mill)

The Environment Agency has guidance on how to check if your material is waste.

In England, if you are looking at a waste material as animal bedding you will need to apply for the waste exemption. This link provides further information, including what types and quantities of waste you can use and key conditions of use.

Always be present when the waste material is delivered on farm. Check the material to ensure it is the specification agreed, free from contaminants and meets the conditions of the U8 exemption. If it does not meet any of these requirements the delivery needs to be rejected.

Please note (in England):

  • If you want to spread waste bedding on your land you must treat it first under either a T23T24 or T25 exemption or a relevant permit
  • Once treated, the waste can be spread on land under a U10 or U11 exemption.
  • All these exemptions (including U8) are currently free of charge to apply for. However, a planned consultation to introduce charges for exemptions was expected in November 2024

The duty of care to ensure a waste reaches a compliant destination sits with the whole supply chain (processor, transporter, recipient of the waste).

This means that a farm business/farmer needs to ensure that any material being delivered for use as animal bedding is suitable (meets specification and non-hazardous) and that they have the necessary paperwork, including receiving waste transfer notes (with signatures) on delivery of the material and waste exemptions are already registered.

If duty of care is not fulfilled, then the farm business/farmer is liable to enforcement action from the relevant regulator.

It is also in the farm's interest to only use materials suitable for animal bedding as these will not negatively impact animal health, help ease of spreading the material, and not be detriment to crop health or soil health.

Further information

Scotland

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Farm Advisory Service

Wales

Meat Promotion Wales

Natural Resources Wales

Use of Recycle Manure Solids as bedding

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